Blood Mage
by Black Forests
Summary: After Itachi's betrayal, Naruto was more convinced than ever not to trust anyone again. What if he did? In a girl, he found his own reflection, of blood and chaos. Naruto/Hanabi. Discontinued.
1. Blood that wiggles?

**Disclaimer **I do not own Naruto and company. Inspired by a character in the manga Black Cat and various other fandom works in fanfiction. Information has been taken from _Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia_ and I do not own them, but used them only for this fan work.

**Warning **Hanabi's age has been changed to only a year younger than Naruto to make the pairing possible. You guys can't possibly ask a seven-year-old to understand love right? This chapter is a filler chapter to Naruto's past.

**Blood Mage**

_Chapter One _Blood that wiggles?

* * *

A blond boy walked briskly in an attempt to keep up with Itachi's pace, while keeping his head down for fear of being disrespectful. He knew that he was not allowed to ask irrelevant questions but Naruto could not stand the silence between the two anymore.

"Ne, onii-sama, where are we going?" the blue-eyed boy inquired quietly, eyes bright and unusually large. His teacher, who had trained him for two consecutive years, had not said a thing about any night trainings but he knew today was an exception. Itachi was the only one he could turn to when everyone walked away and Naruto would just leave it at that. He respected Itachi for the power he harnessed, and the wordless concern he had directed at the blonde.

Naruto knew of the great demon that was sealed in him years ago, as Itachi had calmly told him, and also telling him that he had power that the village did not acknowledge and Itachi was sure that he would not waste it away. It was that one time that Naruto knew that he could rely on somebody he could truly trust, and for once he would not be easily bullied or be spat at because he would be getting stronger each day.

For two years he had put his heart and soul in his training, trying to please Itachi. It was his only dream he could work towards to and even it was just a tiny smile or a 'Good', it was just enough for Naruto. He had truly wondered what it was like to have a real family member who would be there for you, and now he knew what it was like. Naruto never opened up to Itachi directly before, since the Uchiha had hated weaknesses such as unwanted emotions that will affect the fighting mood and even to feel pain. But still, Naruto knew how it was like to be acknowledged.

Itachi halted abruptly before turning to address the boy's question directly. He had long, raven-colored hair tied up into a ponytail and his eyes were the things that Naruto admired the most- the thin scarlet veins, and at the centers, the fathomless dark. At times, Itachi would even activate his bloodline, the _Sharingan_, and they were a daunting blood-crimson.

A _kekkei genkai_ (_literally_ 'blood inheritance limit' or an 'ability limited to blood inheritance', also called a 'bloodline limit', 'advanced bloodline', or 'bloodline trait') is any property passed down genetically through a specific clan that cannot be imitated or duplicated by any method, although it might be possible to copy it using genetic manipulation. Kekkei genkai are often beneficial, and are employed commonly by shinobi to improve their chances in battle or other challenging situations.

The eagerness with which the rulers of nations have taken advantage of shinobi with bloodline limits for the purposes of furthering war efforts has taken its toll on their reputation, to such a degree that many in the world automatically associate bloodline limits with war and pain. It eventually reached the point of outright fear and hatred, resulting in witch-hunts and systematic murders of families and individuals with bloodline limits, as was the case with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clan. Both clans were respected for their advanced bloodline and there had been an incident of trying to rob the bloodline of the Hyuuga's clan.

"You will see. I am going to test your abilities tonight," Itachi answered, his voice with the minimal amount of emotion. The night was starless and yet the moon's beams were thrown across the river, which were drowned in the pristine waters. A light breeze blew slightly and the grass rustled. The Nakano river still held its beauty after being around in Konoha for so many years.

"Itachi." A man, who Naruto assumed to be the same age as Itachi, appeared before their eyes. His bright ruby eyes bore the indication of being a traditional Uchiha as the three water-droplet-like shapes spun wildly in the pupils.

"Shisui-san," Itachi acknowledged and for a moment, his eyes flared a crimson red before becoming the spinning red _Sharingan_. For a while, neither spoke and moved. They simply stared at each other, seemingly trying to read each other's thoughts. It was Itachi who broke the little staring competition as he turned to nod at his student. The wide-eyed boy then nodded in return as if he knew his sensei's small gesture before narrowing his eyes at Shisui.

The man named Shisui took a battle stance, staring at Itachi warily and did not even spare a glance at Naruto's direction. He thought a child at that tender age would be harmless, like Itachi's own brother would be. But, he thought wrong.

A kunai whistled past Shisui's face and blood trickled down his cheek from the thin line of cut. Shisui glared at the obviously skilled thrower before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves and reappeared behind the unnamed brat who had flung the kunai. Itachi had stood aside, letting his student and Shisui battle, although he already knew who would emerge as the winner.

"Don't you know that it is dangerous for a kid to play with knives?" Shisui taunted, reaching to grab Naruto's wrist. But it would seem that Naruto had eyes on the back of his head because he jumped away from the Uchiha and landed gracefully a few feet away with a somersault.

Naruto knew he did not need to speak. He only knew that this should end quickly so that he can let Itachi know his abilities, which had grown over these two years of training. Analyzing his opponent with cautious cerulean eyes, Naruto could tell that Itachi's presumably older brother who was also one of the most talented in the Uchiha clan was rather sloppy in his taijutsu and would most probably switch tactics to either ninjutsu or genjutsu soon.

After spending time with Itachi, Naruto was well versed in the arts of the Uchiha bloodline and knew that if Shisui had owned the _Mangekyo Sharingan_, the next level of the _Sharingan_, he would be sure not to look into his opponent's eyes. The _Mangekyo Sharingan_ is able to create illusions inside the enemy's mind, making him experiencing seventy-two hours worth of torture or personal tragedies to be played over and over again. The illusions would be so real that one can even feel the pain inside their mind for seventy-two hours, yet a mere minute would pass in reality.

So far, Naruto had not heard of anyone in the Uchiha clan possessing such fearful eyes, but one should never let down his guard before his opponent. He decided to play close range since Shisui was the one who tried to play close range first in hopes of intimidating the blonde, even though it would never be in his forte. Using three shuriken to avert Shisui's attention, a punch that only held half of Naruto's usual power without charging it with chakra was thrown into Shisui's direction. Naruto wanted to see how far that Shisui could go first before doing his best but much to his chagrin, Shisui was thrown off-guard- the punch met his right shoulder and the demon vessel could clearly hear the shoulder being dislocated.

* * *

The Uchiha's red eyes widened visibly. He knew the shuriken were only baits, as the brat would try something further such as trying to land a blow on him. Shisui had foreseen the punch coming with his _Sharingan _and he had dodged to prevent the punch landing on his face but the blonde was just too quick and nimble for him—the blonde had used his other fist to land a blow on his shoulder and from the nasty 'crack' sound, he knew the arm would be rendered useless temporarily. Shisui quickly smashed down the thought of having his _Sharingan _not being able to register the opponent's moves for the first time and staggered a little before standing right up again.

Slightly blinded by the sharp pain shooting up his right shoulder, he forced his hands into making fast, blurred seals.

"_Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu_!" A large ball of flames escaped from Shisui's parted lips and he smirked in satisfaction. The brat should be toasted by now.

As the smoke and the last remains of the fire technique were cleared, the evident carnage that was caused was only the burnt remains of a log. His opponent apparently impressed Shisui despite his age. _'Is he the brat who Itachi had trained? He is definitely more than what I would expect from wimpy kids. Pfft. Even Sasuke won't even be able to land a hit on me.' _

Shisui's eyes scanned the entire clearing vigilantly, trying to make out the blonde's hiding spot after using the _Kawarimi No Jutsu _to escape the wrath of his fire technique. Shisui had been surprised when Itachi had arranged this meeting at the clearing but he would have no regrets coming at all because of facing such a challenging, young opponent.

He could feel his heart pumping furiously—not because of fear but of excitement he was feeling. Then, after a moment of silence, he could sense the brat's chakra coming towards him. _'There!'_

The blonde's leg was caught deftly by Shisui's left hand, disrupting his midair stunt. Shisui then proceeded to use his kunai and make a clean swipe at the kid's stomach but was blocked by the blonde's left arm.

Shisui could not make out any wince coming from the kid or any pain that would usually be displayed in anybody's eyes. No, he could not see the pain registered in this child's huge, blue orbs. Shisui's eyes narrowed dangerously. _'What did Itachi do to this kid to even train him to erase pain immediately?'_

Then, the weirdest thing happened to Shisui.

The blood that was spilling profusely from the blonde's arm was now forming a thick crimson rope _like it was a living thing _and it slithered its way up to Shisui's body, coiling around him and effectively binding him. Shisui's mind could only register shock and pain as his life was being squeezed out of him.

For that short period of time, his opponent's face was so close he could discern the fading whiskered-marks on the blonde's cheeks and Shisui finally knew whom he was fighting with.

Of course, who else but the Kyuubi brat?

From a distance away where Itachi was monitoring the progress of the battle between Shisui and Naruto, he smirked—a thing that was not common for the emotionless Uchiha. _'He's using _that_ already?'_

* * *

Naruto could feel his bloodlust acting up as he listened to the soft gags and choking sounds made by the enemy. The mantra _'kill, kill' _was pounding in his head, demanding the opponent to be killed quickly. But, no, he would slowly enjoy the man's pain first.

As Naruto used his own blood to form ropes and bind Shisui, his face was so close, Naruto could just see the ice-cold fury in the Uchiha's wild, red eyes and feel the hatred radiating from the man.

Hatred… Naruto definitely did not associate with such thing for the first time. Hell, no, he did experience it first hand for the most time of his life ever since he was born. He was hated for a thing he did not want for it had not been his choice to make.

No, since when the Fourth Hokage would ever consider before choosing _him _of all newborns to seal the almighty Kyuubi in? No, Naruto was just the unlucky one to be born on that day.

Feeling his own anger and hatred fueled simply by the look Shisui was giving him, Naruto tried all means to suppress it, as it was just an emotional act on his part. It would just give him a disadvantage and his opponent would try to use that weakness to overwhelm Naruto.

Shisui then smirked suddenly and formed handseals despite being tied up tightly.

"_Shunshin No Jutsu_!" Shisui whispered, using the high-speed movement technique to scare the brat in hopes of moving again. Indeed, his decision was correct. The blond brat had widened his eyes visibly before releasing his grip on the ropes. He was Shisui Uchiha, one of the most talented Uchiha, and was feared as "Shisui of the Body Flicker" ("Shunshin no Shisui").

With the strange crimson ropes gone, Shisui could move freely again and he regained his composure, hopping away from Naruto.

Not wasting any time, Naruto used his blood whip and smacked it as hard as he could in the direction of Shisui and with his opponent exhausted and nearing death, the Uchiha had deactivated his bloodline and had not predicted the attack. The whip slashed brutally on the Uchiha and his left arm had _come straight off_, literally.

Shisui then proceeded to stare at the gory mess lying a few feet away on the grass, which were once his left arm and then his bloody stump where his left arm should be. _'What the hell?' _With the pain overwhelming him as tiny white dots began to fill his vision, Shisui shook his head violently in an attempt to stay conscious. It would not do well for him if he fell unconscious then. He knew without thinking that the Kyuubi child would just finish him off with another strike.

Naruto raised his left arm, which the blood from the injury had formed the whip in his right hand, and was going to finish off his opponent until he was intercepted by Itachi's back. "Onii-sama?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.

That was when Naruto saw Itachi's right arm impaling Shisui's chest, where his heart resided, ending his so-called friend's life immediately. Slowly, as if enjoying the gurgle sounds that the blood was making against Itachi's hand, the Uchiha drew out his hand from the body and threw it aside.

Itachi began to laugh. It started out as a harsh bark, but gradually it became louder and louder, until Naruto could recognize it as a laughter. Naruto could not comprehend Itachi disrupting him from making the kill or the fact that he was laughing now. For two years, the demon vessel understood that the word 'laughter' and the name 'Itachi' did not go well together.

"Onii-sama?" Naruto called again, this time, much louder in order to catch his teacher's attention. However, as Itachi turned around to face him, the blonde could barely distinguish the _Mangekyo Sharingan_ eyes that were staring into his own, boring into him, reading his soul. Shortly afterwards while staring into Itachi's 'newly' attained eyes, Naruto could feel himself falling deep into the clutches of horrific illusions…

**

* * *

Years Later… **

"Naruto, you fail!" Iruka's booming voice echoed throughout the whole room, causing the sentence to sound more like: _"Naruto you fail, you fail, fail, fail, fail!"_ A pregnant silence settled in the class… before everybody burst out in raucous laughter. The chuunin with a scar on the bridge of his nose sighed, while glaring at two of Naruto's _bunshin_, which resembled more like chalk-white dummies rather than the blonde's replicas.

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, we should just pass Naruto for his commendable effort of at least trying… See? He created at least two clones this time!" Mizuki-sensei said beside Iruka, who had been judging the blonde's performance all the while.

Iruka shook his head in disapproval and said, tight-lipped, "No, Mizuki-sensei. Naruto did make two clones but they are _barely what we call clones! _The other students have at least made three clones and even Uchiha Sasuke had made ten. If we pass Naruto this easily, he would not survive as a genin."

Everybody laughed again at the blonde's clones as the dummies-look-alike 'poof-ed' out of existence.

Naruto merely shrugged as if it was nothing and walked back to his seat at the back of the classroom. Iruka frowned; it had been the third time Naruto had failed the genin test and it would not benefit the blonde if this goes on. It looked like Naruto was not putting in any effort in the academy at all.

As more and more people stood up to perform the simple task of creating mere three clones, Iruka was giving away more and more hitai-ate that bore the Konoha shinobi symbol until it reached the last one.

Guilt clawed at the chuunin's heart. It would be Naruto's forehead protector if he had passed. But no, Iruka had not been paying attention to the blonde's progress in the ninja academy at all. At first, like everyone else, he had found himself hating the boy more than anything else for Kyuubi had taken away his parents and making him an orphan.

But as years passed by while he taught the Kyuubi container, Iruka then reduced his hate for the boy until it faded into nothingness. He had seen his very own pupils shunned Naruto and the ignorant adults were still harboring evil intents on ridding the child for good. For the less harmless ones, it had been spits and insults for Naruto all the way.

All these years Iruka had not seen the child cry, smile or even act upon anger before. It was heart breaking for the teacher, but it had been true. By making things worse for Naruto, everybody laughed at him for being the 'dead-last' in the class as he had definitely acted like it. Iruka knew that Naruto was not even trying because he could not even see the blonde putting chakra into his clones or for that matter, Iruka had seen Naruto handing in blank theory papers for the past few years.

After every single student left the class, only Naruto and Iruka were in the room. Sensing Iruka walking towards his direction, Naruto simply stuck his hands into his pockets and _tried _walking out. It was Iruka blocking his way past the door and to the outside. Naruto sighed. _'Does he have a problem with me or something?'_

"Naruto, I think you have a problem we should discuss," Iruka declared solemnly.

'_I think I should quit the academy and go be a seer or something…' _Naruto thought, clearly amused by the strict tone that the chuunin had used. It was not like the blonde had done anything that was illegal or offending the teachers at all… He had simply _failed the genin test_. What was more to it?

"Naruto… What do you truly want to be? What is your ambition?" Iruka asked, sitting down and gestured to the blond boy to sit beside him.

"…" Naruto said nothing, wanting to provoke a reaction from the chuunin teacher.

Iruka sighed and rubbed his temples. Okay, he knew Naruto was a problem child. But then again, with the villagers' hatred directing at one sole child, Iruka wondered why the demon vessel was sane at all. He knew Naruto would never retaliate to protect himself from harm's way and that he would never open up to anyone else.

"Why, why are you doing this, Naruto?" Iruka finally asked. If his student wants a heart-to-heart talk, he will get it. Naruto was just like him in the past—he was also an orphan and did not have anyone to rely on.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, almost innocently. On the outside, to Iruka, it would be a simple question that any child Naruto's age would ask when asked that question. But inwardly, Naruto was analyzing Iruka's question as in, 'why he kept on failing his tests' or 'why he wasn't talking to him'. But he knew there was more that Iruka-sensei wanted to ask. Naruto could see it in the teacher's eyes.

It was pity. Naruto hated that human sympathy the most ever since he was born. When he was beaten up in the streets and humiliated, anyone who walked past him would stop and give him sympathetic looks—until they look clearly at his face and recognize the whiskered-marks on his cheeks, they would give looks filled with hatred instead.

But in this case, it was different. Iruka's face was not twisted in hatred and anger. Naruto felt confusion raging a war inside him. _'I thought his parents had been killed by the Kyuubi twelve years ago? I know he hated me ever since I had entered the academy… He would always pick on me and try to trip me… Hmmm… What is he trying to do now? Win my trust before crushing it completely to see me cry in defeat? Wow… That's nasty. I wonder why nobody tried that before… Hmmm wait… I know who did. Of course, it must be _him _right… Yeah nothing he can't achieve…'_

"I know you have led a difficult life, Naruto. You'd think I have no experience in this but I've been an orphan too. I know what it is like to be jeered at or even laughed at for being the clown of the class. But I only did that for attention. I wanted people to recognize me. To acknowledge me, even. But it had been a tough road to walk on until I finally became an official Konoha's ninja." Iruka started ranting while Naruto nearly wanted to give him the look of horror.

'_Oh my kami-sama! Please spare me from this heart-to-heart talk! It's utterly revolting!' _Naruto screamed inwardly, giving himself the imagery of tearing Iruka into shreds. Yes, that made him feels a whole lot better. Instead, the blonde simply gave Iruka an amused look as if to say 'I don't get what you're saying but I know you're trying to make yourself look like an idiot' before standing up and walking out of the classroom.

"Wait, Naruto!" Iruka yelled after the blonde, but it was too late. Naruto was gone.

* * *

Naruto was lying comfortably on a thick, sturdy branch of a tree, enjoying the serenity until somebody, who was clearly asking for a beating, disrupted the whole picture of tranquility. He tensed while he realized the chakra signature to be Mizuki-sensei's and let a kunai slide out from his kunai holster, undetected.

"Yo, Naruto-kun. How are you doing?" the chuunin smiled at him sweetly, as if Naruto was the newest fascination and it will just make you _feel good _by looking at him. But knowing how human body and the human mind work, as Naruto could analyze from Mizuki's body language, Mizuki was actually trying to force a conversation. Naruto could just tell from the fake grin plastered on that stupid face and from the suppressed hatred radiating from the chuunin.

Naruto sighed inwardly, thinking why the dude even attempted talking to him at all. Mizuki should know, by experience, that talking to him, Naruto Uzumaki, it would be like talking to a living piece of wood.

"I know that you're upset about Iruka trying to fail you, _again_, but don't worry, I know another way to make you pass the genin test and become an official genin," Mizuki offered, putting his hand on Naruto's as a gesture of 'kindness'.

Naruto wanted to snort as he felt the hatred snaking from the hand and into him. Mizuki should just try running for the 'Konoha's Kindness Award' and Naruto was sure he would vote for him—run a campaign for him, even!

Since when would Naruto ever feel the need to even pass the genin test to become an official genin for this damn village? He hated the village and everybody in it ever since he was born and Naruto was sure it would just stay that way. The only thing that kept him sane and alive was his only dream of killing Itachi. The blonde's eyes narrowed as he thought of the Uchiha who had betrayed him years ago just to attain the _Mangekyo Sharingan_. Itachi had _used _him to weaken Itachi's _friend_, Shisui and killed him personally to get the next level of Sharingan.

Naruto then knew that to attain the _Mangekyo Sharingan_, one had to murder his or her best friend to get it. Naruto should have known that no one would be good to him, ever. From then onwards, Naruto had never trusted anyone.

Even though Naruto knew that Mizuki was up to no good, his curiosity piped up and he decided to ask the way of passing the genin test. Yeah, act like you are real sorrowful first to somewhat win his stupid 'trust'. "But how, Mizuki-sensei? How are you sure that Iruka-sensei will pass me then?" Naruto put on his damned mask and blinked his tearful eyes at the chuunin.

"Well, it's easy. You just have to obtain the _Scroll Of Seals _from the Hokage's tower and learn the jutsu inside it. Once you're done, you got to show what you've learn to us then we will pass you!" Mizuki answered, the idiotic grin still on his face. "The only thing is that those jutsu will be more advanced and it will definitely be rather difficult to master… So, good luck, Naruto-kun." With that, Mizuki-sensei was gone in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto contemplated the words that the chuunin had given him and came to the conclusion that it was just another bastard wanting to use him again. Naruto was not stupid. He did act like an idiot in the academy but that was because the lessons were too boring and he had what it takes to be either a chuunin or jounin already. Itachi had seen to that.

However, Mizuki had wrapped up his pretty, little speech with such an attractive package and even offered such an opportunity to let Naruto learn more jutsu, the blonde was definitely going to regret not going. So, he decided to rob the Hokage that night.

* * *

'_Kage Bunshin No Jutsu?'_ Naruto mused, poring through the contents of the scroll he had stolen not long ago. Feeling rather satisfied with the traps he had set up earlier on in the Hokage's tower and places surrounding it, Naruto had decided to learn a few jutsu first before the Hokage would have caught him red-handed.

There were various jutsu that Naruto could put in use and some that his previous sensei had taught him before. Most of them were forbidden and ranked as jounin-ranks, even though to Naruto, they were relatively easy to perform. Techniques such as the shadow clone jutsu, too.

After studying the scroll in the forest for a long period of time, Naruto was still wondering when the chuunin would decide to make his appearance scarce. The blonde had long since noticed the chakra signature of the chuunin trailing him from the Hokage tower and now here. He had to be so careful not to reveal that he was actually not a 'dead-last' in the academy.

It was then that Mizuki-bastard decided to make his move.

"Oi, Naruto-kun. You have done your job well. Now is the time you hand over the _Scroll Of Seals_." Mizuki stood on a tree branch, glaring down at Naruto maliciously. He was about to advance on the demon vessel when a swirl of leaves intercepted his attack.

Naruto was rather pleasantly surprised. Who else but Iruka-sensei who wanted a _heart-to-heart _talk would come to his rescue? The chuunin stood in front of Naruto as if he wanted to protect the blonde and shouted out to Mizuki, "What are you doing, Mizuki? Why did you ask Naruto to steal the scroll?"

Then, Mizuki gave a harsh bark, "I just wanted to use him to get the scroll, _idiot_. Why would I even try to benefit him with the scroll? He's the dem-"

"No, don't say, traitor! Did you forget about the rule the Third Hokage had stated about that incident?" Iruka spat, glaring daggers at the other chuunin. If looks could kill, Mizuki would be dead a few million times and buried deep under already.

"Stupid fool, you think I actually _care_?" Mizuki then stared at the blond boy, narrowing his eyes. "Naruto, you are actually the vessel in which the Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi demon in! The demon that had assaulted the village twelve years ago! Don't you see? The village had kept you in the dark because of a stupid rule the Third had made… Can't you see that you're the monster who had killed so many people, including Iruka's parents?"

"Stop it!" Iruka yelled, looking back at the emotionless student behind him. _'Isn't Naruto at least surprised?'_

Noticing Iruka's inquisitive looks, Naruto decided to put up a show first. "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! YOU MEAN ALL THESE YEARS I'M THE DEMON? AHH! LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!" Naruto screamed frantically and ran in circles, making both chuunin raise an eyebrow. Then Naruto stopped to look at them sheepishly. "Uh… So, now is my cue to faint on the spot, right?"

Both Iruka and Mizuki nearly face-faulted. "You mean you knew about the demon?" both chuunin asked in unison.

Naruto shrugged the question off as if it was nothing important then proceeded to throw the _Scroll Of Seals _to Iruka and ushered him to stand behind him.

"What, Naruto-" Iruka started, but was silenced by the said blond boy who was moving into a battled stance. Widening his eyes to the size of saucers, Iruka then realized what his student wanted to do. "No, Naruto! You will get killed! He's too strong for you!"

Mizuki nearly wanted to fall back and roll on the ground in laughter. The key word was _nearly_. Instead, the chuunin settled for a same battle stance as not to underestimate his opponent, even though he already had.

Then, Naruto did the most idiotic thing he had ever seen.

Blood dripped steadily from where Naruto had made a cut on his palm with a kunai. Mizuki could see no pain registered in those clear, azure eyes even though he was just a kid. Then, Naruto smirked. Mizuki nearly wanted to yell and say something along the lines of the Kyuubi brat being crazy. Instead, he bellowed, "What, Kyuubi brat? You want to kill me with your stupid blood?"

To Mizuki's horror and to Iruka's fascination, the blood was simply molding itself to take a shape of something that looked like a whip. Naruto smirked again, this time with bloodlust evident in his eyes even though Iruka could not see it since the blonde had his back facing him.

"Yes, of course, _Mizuki-sensei_," Naruto replied indifferently as he stretched the whip to create a better view for both of the chuunin and proceeded to lick it sub-consciously.

"What the-" Mizuki managed, before having his head sliced off neatly and it rolled away from its owner a few feet away. He did not even have the time to think or act when Naruto's whip was brought down on the teacher.

Iruka gasped. How could Naruto kill so easily and what was _that_?

"N-Naruto, what was t-that?" Iruka managed to inquire, regaining his composure, even though he was shaking like hell and felt like it inwardly. "Y-your blood…"

Naruto then spun around to face his chuunin teacher; the whip already gone and Iruka could tell that the cut on his palm already healed. _'Kyuubi…?' _

"Oh that," Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. "Is my _kekkei genkai_."


	2. It is painful to remember

**Disclaimer **I do not own Naruto and company. Some information has been taken from the wikipedia website. Some parts of the story are inspired by many anime.

**Warning **Hanabi's age is purposely changed to only a year younger than Naruto despite the given age of five years younger. This is decided to make the Naruto and Hanabi pairing possible since a seven year old girl cannot handle relationship yet, ne?

**Blood Mage**

_Chapter Two _It is painful to remember

* * *

"Eh? Naruto why are you here? This classroom is only for the graduates… How troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed as he faced the blonde in question. He sat in a relaxed posture, putting his hands behind his head and Naruto merely tilted his head in a confused manner as if the lazy genin had just asked him a question only answerable for teachers, in Shikamaru's opinion that is.

"I said, this place is where people who had passed the genin exam gather to listen to the distribution of teams… So what are you doing here then? I remembered you didn't pass… How troublesome…" Shikamaru then yawned, putting his hand over his mouth only to receive a soft smack on his head.

"Ba-ka. Can't you see the head protector on my arm?" Naruto asked, then raising his left arm a few inches higher for the other genin to see and Shikamaru only raised his eyebrow slightly as if to ask, _"How the hell did you get that?"_

No questions were asked, however, when a dispute was started as both genin heard the screaming and shrieks from _two _particular girls.

Shikamaru and Naruto sighed in unison. No other girls would be louder than this two in their class… They were kind of notorious for their _love _for someone in particular… And of course, their loud love confessions were very infamous.

"He's mine, Ino-pig!"

"Dream on, Big Forehead! Sasuke-kun is mine, like, forever!"

"I _need _to have that seat! I will win him, you stupid pig!"

"Like hell! I tell you he's mine, so back off, Sakura! I'm going to have that seat so you can just be in your own little world!"

A pink-haired girl and a blond girl seemed to be on each other's throat for an eternity as they battled for a certain seat beside a certain Uchiha. Naruto and Shikamaru sweat-dropped.

'_It's only a seat…' _Shikamaru's eyebrow started to twitch.

'_Stupid fools…' _The corner of Naruto's mouth began to twitch.

The two girls shouted like their so-called lover was not there and the raven-haired boy did not seem to notice the perilous state he was in as his hands were clasped in front of his face. His eyes were distant, as if thinking of something. Neither did Sasuke do anything to stop the two girls nor did he move away from the seat so that the two would stop arguing.

Naruto let out an almost inaudible sigh as he walked towards the seat beside the Uchiha and slid himself into the seat without the two dangerous fan girls of Sasuke noticing. Naruto knew that Sasuke himself was a silent, brooding boy, always with a cloud of gloom over him.

However, that did not help because the Uchiha was often the cause of disruptions and noisy fan girls. The blonde knew that he was treading on thin ice on a hot, sunny day but he knew somebody would come to his rescue soon.

That was when Sasuke noticed his presence.

"You are quite a brave one. Nobody dared to take that seat ever since that two entered the classroom," Sasuke said in a bored, flat tone. He had said those words so quietly that it would most probably only can be listened by the blonde beside him.

When the brooding teen did not receive any reply of any sorts, he spun his head in annoyance as he faced the blonde and narrowed his eyes. "I'm talking to you, dead-last." Sasuke then widened his eyes as he said the words 'dead-last', wondering why the blonde had been able to pass the genin test to be in the classroom, with the hitai-ate bearing the Konoha symbol too.

Ino and Sakura turned around to face Naruto abruptly as they heard the avenger speaking to the blonde.

"**_How dare you snatch my seat!"_** both kunoichi started in unison, slowly advancing on the demon vessel, cracking their knuckles threateningly. Their heads seemed to be on fire and for a moment, Naruto and Sasuke saw demons. The two fan girls resembled genuine, intimidating woman demons.

The entrance of their teacher, Iruka-sensei, saved Naruto promptly as he entered, "Now, now, get back to your seats. I'm going to read out the distribution of teams." The man with a scar on the bridge of his nose sighed before turning to the person he had rescued. The events on the night before were still freshly imprinted in Iruka's mind, and were still sending shivers down the chuunin's back.

Naruto had revealed to the teacher about the bloodline limit he possessed since he had found out about the Kyuubi's presence at the age of four but did not divulge anything else to the chuunin. To think that the living piece of wood had known about the great demon lord sealed in him years ago had made Iruka's heart wrenched in sadness and sympathy as he thought more about the torture and loneliness the blonde had gone through.

Iruka then opened his file, reading out the arranged teams in a gradual pace.

* * *

Naruto had detected the glance his academy teacher was giving him and it had been the same as the day before—the one filled with sympathy and sadness that it was clearly driving the blonde crazy. Naruto had never shown any emotions more than what he was capable of, as Itachi had made sure the blonde got rid of all the unwanted feelings. The Uchiha taught him not to fear, not to feel pain, not to feel lonely, not to feel sadness but only to hate. His hatred taught years ago had fueled the anger directed at the unreasonable villagers and Itachi's taunts had taken the blonde's hatred a huge step further.

His anger could have turned the demon vessel into a true demon if Itachi had not constantly reminded him to keep his emotions in check and to wait for the time when the fruit is ripe. Naruto had learnt the beautiful virtue of patience and it had been a torment. It was like sitting in front of something he liked and was unable to touch it or even _see _it.

Naruto wanted to feel what it was like to have the villagers' blood spilled on his hands like they had done with his. He wanted to feel what it was like to have their trust and hearts trampled over like they were worth nothing like they had done with his. The Uchiha told him that the latter would be a better choice to have revenge with the village, as it would hurt multiple times than inflicted physical damages.

Naruto had experienced it first hand with his previous caretakers and he knew how it felt like. It was like having somebody you trust and you wanted to protect to stab you in the back and tell you that it was what he or she had planned to do all along.

It had been exactly what Uchiha Itachi did.

It hurt the Uzumaki so terribly and it had been too hard for the boy to bear that he had considered suicide as a way out. But at that time, a realization dawned on him that it would be what the villagers and Itachi want, right?

They wanted their beloved demon dead.

That would be what Naruto hated. He would not let them have their ways around him.

"… Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and… Uchiha Sasuke," the chuunin declared as Sakura did a cheer for herself and gave her best friend/ rival a look that said 'Back at ya, Ino-pig'.

Naruto sighed before thinking why he had come in the first place. He did not want to be a genin of the damned village, Konoha at all. Iruka had insisted on giving the blonde the hitai-ate that _he rightfully deserved_. The demon container had nearly snorted at that. He rightfully deserved… Well, the forehead protector would serve its purpose in giving him freedom to leave the village to find Itachi…

Naruto slowly took off his forehead protector from his left arm and lifted it up for better view. If the avenger sitting next to him found his action bizarre, he had not made a comment on it.

The Konoha hitai-ate… _Fire _country…

Naruto stared at the swirling symbol, his eyes narrowing.

How frustrating.

* * *

After two hours of waiting in the assigned classroom, the threesome finally met their sensei. With that, the silver-haired jounin merely brushed off his lateness with lame excuses while facing off with the pink-haired girl's death glare. Naruto regarded the jounin's lateness with ignorance while even _the brooding Sasuke _had the tendency to scowl.

As silence greeted their jounin teacher, he had to admit he did not like being saddled with an obviously love-struck fan girl, an Uchiha that the whole village favored and the fox brat. To come and think of it, Naruto had been a dead last in the academy when even Kakashi and the Hokage had greater expectations of him.

When Kakashi was informed that he would be taking on Naruto in his genin team, he was rather shocked. He would never believe that the Hokage trusted him this much. With how the villagers had treated the demon vessel, Kakashi was sure that the Hokage would want someone much more _softer _and capable of taking care of the blonde's needs. But it seemed that he was still entrusted with this job.

Kakashi turned his eye towards the bored-looking blonde, who was looking at Sakura blabbering at Sasuke.

His look hardened. _'Those eyes…' _

The blonde looked up from the weird commotion that his pink teammate was creating to stare at his jounin sensei.

"What're you looking at?" Naruto asked, ice underlining his statement. That caught the attention of his two other teammates and Sakura quickly kept her silence.

Kakashi laughed awkwardly, "Nothing, Naruto-kun. I see you guys get along well…not. Meet me up on the roof in five seconds. I will be waiting…" With that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'_Those eyes are the perfect tools for shinobi… Emotionless and cold… They will keep enemies in check… But why does Naruto have them? Is it because of the incident years ago…?'_

"Mou… That sensei is so infuriating…" Sakura sighed in irritation, staring at the spot where Kakashi had disappeared.

"Shut up," Sasuke said harshly, before running up to the roof.

The classroom was left with Naruto and Sakura. For a moment, the blonde thought Sakura was going to cry, judging by her downcast face and her trembling shoulders. '_Maa… Not that I care… I should just leave her here…' _Naruto was about to turn and leave when Sakura lifted up her face with tears streaming down her glittery eyes.

'_What the…' _Naruto nearly wanted to face-fault upon seeing that absolutely hideous face.

"T-those were the first words that Sasuke-kun said to me this week! I must record it down in my diary…" Sakura squealed as she wiped away her tears and her eyes were like, covering with hearts and flowers… And lovebirds were surrounding her, flying with absolute bliss and _love_…

"**Shannaro!" **inner-Sakura shouted, waving her arms around.

For a moment, Naruto was thinking of waiting for her. Then as he looked at his teammate doing _really weird _actions, his eyebrow started to twitch. _'Okay wait… I really don't want to know anything about Sasuke's fan girls… I should leave, like now…' _

It was very fortunate that the blonde chose the right time to leave as Sakura was starting to _confess her love_ to her _Sasuke-kun _in the fan girl style.

* * *

"You're late, Sakura," Kakashi chided in his most serious tone. Sasuke and Naruto sweat-dropped.

"You're the last person to lecture on lateness, sensei," Sakura said in a dangerous tone, although the words that Sasuke had said to Sakura seemed to make her _happier _and Sakura did not do anything out of ordinary to the silver-haired jounin.

"Maa, let us introduce ourselves. Tell me about your likes, dislikes and dreams," Team Seven's teacher said, his single eye twinkling happily, his other eye obscured by his forehead protector.

"Well you should go first, sensei. We don't know anything about you yet…" Sakura started, looking at the jounin sensei. Kakashi seemed to look thoughtful for a while as he stroked his chin. "Hmmm well, my name is Hatake Kakashi… I have a lot of hobbies and I don't like a lot of things… Um, I don't plan on telling you my dreams… Yeah, that's about it."

"…"

"…"

"So, we only learnt your name…?" Sakura asked in exasperation. Well, with that mask and the forehead protector, the pink-haired girl could figure as much that their jounin sensei would most probably be a secretive person but to be _that _secretive…

"Ah, you can go next pinky," Kakashi answered, his eye twinkling with… mischief? Then, Sakura thought her vision was going red for a moment but it might just be her imagination… Wait was that a huge bruise on Kakashi's head? Well… He seemed to be crying from the pain too… Poor thing!

"Kakashi-sensei! What happened! Oh my, that looks painful… Are you okay?" Sakura inquired with pure anxiety and her eyes were… glistening with concerned tears? Her teammates and teacher wanted to sweat-drop. It was her handiwork anyway.

Silence reigned supreme and crows cawed away as they were flying past the four ninjas.

Sakura blushed slightly as she realized it was her turn to speak. _'Mustn't give Sasuke-kun a bad impression… Mustn't give Sasuke-kun a bad impression…' _she chanted in her head as she started, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…" Sakura trailed off as she turned Sasuke's way and giggled ferociously. "And my dream is to…" she giggled again, this time, almost resembling guys who read pornography…

Kakashi sneezed.

"And I hate Ino-pig! Well, I kind of dislike this dead last as well," Sakura gave Naruto a look that seemed to tell the blonde he was way beneath Sakura. _'Humph. To let him know that he will NEVER get a chance to go out with me…'_

'_The feeling is entirely mutual, thank you very much,' _Naruto mused, though he was too lazy to say it out loud. To tell the truth, he did not want his team to hate him… just yet. He knew the right time to torture them.

Kakashi wanted to just perform the _Shunshin No Jutsu _(Body Flicker Technique) and report to the third Hokage that he wanted to quit **IMMEDIATELY **as a jounin sensei, heck, maybe a ninja altogether.

At that moment, the silver-haired jounin wanted to pull his hair apart. HOW THE HELL IS HE GOING TO SURVIVE WITH THIS FAN GIRL IN HIS TEAM? NOT TO MENTION THAT SHE IS VERY, VERY VIOLENT! Maybe this was a cruel fate that kami-sama decided to give him…

Kami-sama was very cruel indeed…

"Your turn, the brooding one," Kakashi gave the cue for Sasuke to introduce himself. The avenger narrowed his eyes at that nickname but did not do anything else. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have many likes and I have a lot of dislikes. I don't have a dream… It's more of an ambition. To resurrect my clan and to kill… a certain someone."

'_That was… That was…' _Sakura looked at Sasuke with widened eyes. "**The coolest thing that Sasuke-kun has ever said!"**inner-Sakura shouted gleefully. **"Ike, Sasuke-kun! Show them that you're the best!"**

'_As I thought… He is completely consumed by hatred for his brother… Hopefully with Hokage's rash decision of placing you and Naruto into my team, I may be of help after all…' _Kakashi looked at Sasuke and Naruto forlornly. _'What will you do then, Obito-kun?'_

Kakashi thought of his fallen comrade and the visits to the memorial stone. He sighed, shaking his head. _'Maybe as time pass… I may just find an answer to all of my questions…'_

'_Same as me…' _Naruto's eyes widened. The way Sasuke made his introduction while Sakura started swooning at the Uchiha's feet made Naruto realize that Sasuke might be after Itachi after all. He narrowed his eyes. _'No… We are not the same… He let his hatred blind him… I don't live for the sole purpose of revenge…' _

"The… dead last…" Kakashi jerked his head towards Naruto and the blonde showed no signs of annoyance at the nickname. _'He didn't feel angry when Sakura called him that too… So… He is agreeing with us that he is actually weak… That's bad… I can't have an inferior ninja on my team…'_

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto… I like to stay within this peaceful village and sleep all day…" _'Err… I rather get out of this stupid village and travel even if somebody chops off my legs…' _

"I _hate _fires…" Naruto narrowed his eyes and Kakashi widened his eye, as if he discovered something bad.

"And my dream is to…"

"_I hate all of you…"_

"_And I will even curse all of you in death…"_

_He could hear people shouting in a distance but he was not sure. He could hear the roaring fires and… the sound of blood gushing out…_

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouted, as her hand was about to make contact with the blonde's face when Naruto caught it deftly. The pink-haired teammate gasped at his fast reaction and her face was flushed with anger as she yanked away her hand from the painful grip.

"Your dream, Naruto-kun," Kakashi reminded. "You suddenly blanked out or something…"

Naruto wanted to laugh but he could not. But everything and everyone else seemed to be laughing at him… while he simply couldn't. This feeling he was experiencing… He had not came into contact with it for a long time… He clenched his fist in irritation. "My dream is to…"

"STOP ACTING COOL, IDIOT!" Trust Sakura to lose her patience at the weirdest time. Naruto wanted to punch her for breaking the suspense.

Naruto glared at Sakura coldly.

"What…?" Sakura asked, somewhat meekly. His eyes…

"My dream is to make edible steamboat in a toilet bowl and when I'm done eating I can just flush the soup away. And all of the vegetables of course," Naruto deadpanned.

"Steamboat…?" Sakura inquired, sweat-dropping at the solemn tone Naruto was using.

'_As expected from an idiotic dead last… What a foolish dream…'_ Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi looked at Naruto in horror. _'Not only inferior… But idiotic as well! Maybe he really changed… Did he change for the better or for the worse? He really forgot about his past?' _Kakashi smiled as he witnessed Sakura's method of 'dealing with idiots'.

'_Isn't it painful, Naruto? To hide a past like yours?' _Hatake wasn't smiling anymore.

"_Restrain the child!" Someone shrieked in terror. _

_It was snowing. But he did not feel the cold. The fires were still spreading, but he did not feel the heat. _

_Maybe he truly was the demon child. _

Naruto clenched his fist again, in anger. Something that he had not experienced for a long time, no, an emotion that he had not let out to cloud his judgment.

Maybe he drank too much milk that morning.

* * *

After the introduction, Kakashi had wrapped up the entire meeting with some shocking news. Something about a test and not being able to make it to genin… Not that Naruto cared more, though. He was heading towards his apartment and was thinking of that night's dinner which mainly consisted of rice and fish he caught days ago… Naruto pulled a face. Nah, he would not want a dinner like that…

Maybe he should just go to that cheap ramen stall and eat there… Not many people go there anyways…

Naruto smiled. _'I wonder why I always worry about food…' _

The demon vessel halted in his tracks abruptly as he heard sounds like somebody punching something. He turned to the source of the sound and saw a girl dealing blows on a typical Konoha tree. '_Nothing interesting…' _Naruto was about to move on when he suddenly realized the eyes the girl possessed.

The Hyuuga clan…

The _Byakugan_… The bloodline that the Hyuuga clan possessed… It was a special pupil condition, a doujutsu called the 'white eye'. A person with the _Byakugan _has a nearly three hundred and sixty degree field of vision, except for a small blind spot behind the back of the neck, which is its only known weakness. The users can also detect anything around them within a fifty-meter range and the bloodline also gives the user the ability to see through basically any matter over long distances. It is like having a combination of x-ray and thermo graphic vision.

'_Another doujutsu almost similar to Itachi's bloodline…' _Naruto's eyes narrowed at that thought.

"_Focus on your opponent. Never underestimate your opponent," Itachi said, as Naruto fought the dummy senseless. _

"_Focus on the vital points."_

_Naruto then jumped away for a long ranged attack and aimed a kunai at the dummy's head. _

"_No," Itachi said as he held Naruto's hand. _

"_Huh?" Naruto tilted his head, looking up at Itachi, bemused. _

"_Never aim an opponent's head unless you're confident of hitting him. Always aim the heart. If your weapon does not hit the heart it will still get other vital points."_

_As Naruto fought for five minutes longer, Itachi finally said, "I think you're getting it."_

_Naruto let a small smile grace his lips. "Really, onii-sama?"_

"What are you doing just standing here?" a voice brought Naruto back down to Earth. As his eyes focused, he noticed the girl from the Hyuuga clan staring at him.

'_Damn, I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts I haven't notice her coming… I must have been getting rusty… If it was an opponent I'm sure I'm dead meat…' _Naruto cursed inwardly.

The girl staring at him… The eyes were not the same as the heated glares of the villagers… More of a wary and tired look…

"Sorry I didn't know walking pass the training fields was an offence," Naruto scoffed, before turning to walk off again.

"Fight me," the Hyuuga girl _ordered_.

Naruto spun in surprise and faced the girl. He looked at her carefully. She seemed to be around the same age as him, but Naruto had not seen her in the academy before… Or maybe he was just uninterested… The girl moved into a fighting stance.

Shit, the girl was serious.

Naruto observed the girl carefully. _'I should wait for her to make her move first then…' _

She did not seem to be the kind of people to waste time. "_Byakugan!" _

Naruto smiled. So, his observations had been correct. The girl was from the Hyuuga clan… Although it was quite obvious… Somebody like the academy dead last would not have noticed…

'_Wait, isn't that me?' _Naruto sweat-dropped. _'Oh yeah… I'm the academy dead last…' _

"You're within my field of divination," the girl whispered, beckoning Naruto towards her.

'_So the Hyuuga clan is specialized in taijutsu… Kind of… So should I use my bloodline too…?' _Naruto thought. _'Maa. She is kind of exaggerating… Bah, what "you're within my field, blah…"'_

"_Hakkeshou: Rokujuu Yonshou_! (Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms!) " The girl shouted as she rushed at Naruto, chakra charging to her hands. Naruto's eyes widened.

The girl made contact with Naruto's arms, as the boy did not bother jumping away. Her 'gentle fist' techniques enabled her to disrupt the flow of Naruto's chakra as her hands moved fluently with speed. One of the most powerful aspects of the _Byakugan _is the ability to see the inner chakra coil system, which is the key aspect of using the 'Gentle Fist' to attack the system.

If sufficiently developed, the _Byakugan _is able to see individual chakra points, potentially allowing the user to shut off the opponent's chakra flow completely, such that the opponent cannot perform techniques that require chakra.

Naruto let himself be a dummy for the girl as he analyzed the girl's moves. _'Hopefully I don't make this into a habit or I'm sure I will be dead in a few seconds…' _

"Four palms," the girl breathed out, as she spun around gracefully and dealt two more blows to Naruto's shoulders. The Hyuuga stroked Naruto's arms and then dealt several more blows to his palms and up his arms, "Sixteen palms!"

"_Shunshin No Jutsu!_ (Body Flicker Technique)" Naruto broke out of the Hyuuga's 'field of divination' as he panted. Damn, he was sure the girl hit at least two of his vital points… It hurt like hell!

Well, actually, Naruto was just hoping Kyuubi would heal everything up for him… Apparently Kyuubi could not keep up with the damage…?

The girl gasped. How did the boy escape…? The boy was so much faster than her!

"Well, getting serious are we?" Naruto mocked, as he tensed his arm and let a kunai slide to his palm. He tightened the grip on the bandaged handle.

'_I shouldn't expose my bloodline like this… But since I've already told Iruka plus that… incident…' _Naruto narrowed his eyes. _'Maa, this can't be helped.' _

The demon vessel let the kunai make a large gash on his palm and immediately blood gushed out. "Let the game begin…"

The girl's eyes widened. "What the hell!"

The crimson fluid that Naruto was steadily 'losing' was formed into the shape of a long… whip…?

SMACK. The red whip made contact with the ground. Birds perching on nearby trees flew away, frightened by the deafening sound.

SMACK. The red whip made contact with the tree two meters behind the girl. The trunk was chopped into two precise parts and the top portion fell, resulting in the escape of several squirrels.

Naruto was about to lift his whip again when the girl spoke.

"Stop it…"

"Huh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You are scaring those animals!" the girl shrieked, pointing at the birds crying pitifully in the sky and the squirrels nodding unhappily at the clearing across the Hyuuga girl.

"_Stay away from my child, you monster!" the woman screamed, pulling her child away from Naruto. _

"_Onii-sama what's a monster? A lot of people keep calling me that but nobody told me what it meant… Is it something bad?" Naruto asked. _

_Itachi looked at Naruto for a moment. The blonde thought he could see a glint in his eyes before it disappeared. Maybe it was just his imagination. _

"_It's a very ugly animal… But to me I think you're a rather adorable monster…"_

"_You think so?" Naruto beamed, happy to hear Itachi praise him for once. _

"No…" Naruto stared at the ground… Itachi was a liar… Naruto hated him with his guts… But what was this feeling he was experiencing?

It was true that Itachi was the one who accepted Naruto but…

"I forfeit. I lose," Naruto stated calmly as his blood whip disappeared and Kyuubi had almost fully healed his wounds.

"_Onii-sama… Is it all right to kill?" a young Naruto asked. _

"_Sometimes when it is inevitable… Sometimes it is also to ensure your survival… Sometimes… It depends on the situation and your decision…" Itachi answered, ruffling the blonde's hair. _

He knew with the emotions he was currently experiencing, Naruto would probably be in danger himself and he would not want to see the outcome. If worse come to worse, he would most probably kill his opponent. He would not like that. Naruto may not be as innocent as an angel but he was not the Naruto years ago. Sure, he would still like to kill bastards but he had been trying to forget his past.

Naruto would not like to kill any innocents and also get himself into unwanted trouble.

Naruto smiled a little. How ironic. Years ago he would kill anyone to get rid of his hatred and anger or even to please Itachi but he would waver before an opponent now.

"Your eyes," the girl stated evenly.

"Eh?"

"They are filled with sadness and loneliness," the girl added, her lips forming a soft, sad smile.

"Huh?"

The Hyuuga walked towards the demon vessel as the squirrels and birds decided that no harm was done and they quickly scurried off.

A slender hand was placed on Naruto's cheek.

"Ah?"

The girl's eyebrow started to twitch. "Stop making dumb noises. You're spoiling the mood."

"Oh."

A pregnant silence fell between the two as Naruto began to feel cautious of the girl in front of him. _'Is she going to remove that hand or what…? She's giving me the creeps… Like she can see everything…'_

"Isn't it painful?" the girl inquired quietly, removing her hand.

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers. What was the girl thinking? "What are you talking about? First you accused me of trespassing, next you wanted me to fight you and now you're talking strange things… Geez… You're a weird girl, aren't you?" _'I'm best in concealing emotions… What can she see…?'_

The girl smiled. "Maybe I am… I don't know much about this pain you're feeling but I know it runs deep… I may know pain myself but it isn't much. I am from the main family after all… All I want is my father's recognition… But my sister is suffering so much…"

Naruto frowned. _'She's… confiding in me? Why is she telling me this much? Hah… I bet the Hyuuga family didn't tell her there's this demon child running around Konoha and would probably eat you on sight… Err… That sounds revolting…'_

"Be it sadness, loneliness or pain…" Naruto shrugged. "I'm kind of used to those already…" Naruto put the kunai back to his holster and stared at his palm. "_Maybe _it's too painful for me already…" he whispered.

The wind started to pick up and the leaves on the trees rustled slightly. A cool, gentle breeze blew across the clearing and the girl's hair went slightly disarray. She tucked her dark hair behind her ear. "Is that so…?" the girl inquired.

To her surprise, the boy merely turned his back towards her and started to walk away. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Yours?"

The Hyuuga girl smiled. To some extent, she knew the meeting would end like this. Not that it was bad in a way.

"Hyuuga Hanabi."

"Well… Ja ne," Naruto replied.

"You're a genin right? I heard my sister talk about you before. She is in the same year as you. I will be a genin next year… So, we will be able to fight again."

"You're a violent girl, you know," Naruto smirked.

"I will be meeting you again," Hanabi turned and headed towards another direction, waving goodbye to Naruto.

"Hyuuga… Hanabi…"

The wind blew again, stirring the leaves up in the clearing.

Like the swirl the Konoha hitai-ate represented.

* * *

Naruto closed the door behind him, not bothering to lock the door. The people who would want to knock his door down and murder him would probably be ninjas or expert assassins anyways, so why would he want to bother with a lock?

The blonde took off his forehead protector from his arm and threw it on the table. He unzipped his red and black jacket and flung it onto his unmade bed. He took off his weapon pouch on his left thigh, the kunai holster on his right arm and placed it above his cupboard.

With that, he still had more than enough weapons on him to defend himself.

Naruto sat himself down and took out something from his drawer. His home… It was more of a one-roomed apartment. It sounded spacious enough for someone like Naruto since he lived by himself but his apartment merely consisted of his room and a kitchen with a toilet. There was no living room to boost, or whatsoever. So, it did not matter if Naruto threw his things everywhere… But he was actually quite tidy. The only place that was messy was his bed.

He glared at the thing he was holding and he tightened his grip.

It was a blood red mask, something that would always remind him of a faithful incident that he would always try to forget. The third Hokage thought it was funny to give him something like this…

Naruto sighed. The Hokage meant good. The third wanted to remind him of something he should never try again.

But as he stared down the red mask with no intricate designs, but with two holes for the eyes, something stirred within Naruto. Naruto thought back when he held a conversation with the Hyuuga Hanabi.

"_Your eyes…"_

"_They are filled with sadness and loneliness," the girl added, her lips forming a soft, sad smile._

"_Isn't it painful?" _

His vision blurred for a moment and Naruto thought he was just sleepy. Then he felt wet substance trickling down his cheek. Was it blood…?

Naruto touched his cheek and looked at his hand. Tears…?

Naruto wanted to laugh. To think the living piece of wood, the demon child would actually… cry? Nobody would believe that… Not even if he cry in front of everyone… They would think he was using some kind of illusion…

"_Why, why are you doing this, Naruto?" Iruka finally asked._

"_I know you have led a difficult life, Naruto. You'd think I have no experience in this but I've been an orphan too. I know what it is like to be jeered at or even laughed at for being the clown of the class. But I only did that for attention. I wanted people to recognize me. To acknowledge me, even. But it had been a tough road to walk on until I finally became an official Konoha's ninja."_

"_You can talk to me, Naruto-kun," the third Hokage spoke to the young boy in front of him. _

"_I can help you."_

"Help…?" Naruto gave off a hollow laugh. More tears trickled down his cheeks, but he made no move to stop them.

"I believe I'm beyond help now."


	3. And all of them shall suffer

**Disclaimer **I do not own Naruto and company. Some information has been taken from the wikipedia website. Some parts of the story are inspired by many anime.

**Warning **I know I have a horrible grammar and that you can't start sentences with 'but' and 'and', but I like doing that. I can't help it. Anyway, this is a filler chapter of Naruto's past, not long after Itachi's betrayal. This chapter will show many essential details, so I hope you will be paying attention and not falling asleep!

**Blood Mage**

_Chapter Three_ And all of them shall suffer

* * *

Naruto was wandering aimlessly, not caring where exactly he was heading. The frosty wind reminded the blond boy callously that it was winter and the harmless-looking snowflakes bit mercilessly into his unprotected skin. The nine-year-old boy gritted his teeth and tugged at the thin fabric of his jacket, wishing that he had stayed indoors instead. Not that it would have mattered though, since he did not own any heating devices or fireplaces in his pathetically tiny apartment, unless he had the death wish of lighting up a fire and risking burning the entire building down.

Now, that would be interesting to witness, but nevertheless, he would lose the only place he could call 'home'.

"Hey I got it! Yeah, guys! Now I can get my new kunai set!" a boy around seven-years-old exclaimed in ecstasy as the game stall owner grumbled about his bad luck and handed the kid a brand new set of kunai. His friends cheered him on and admired the prize given to the little boy. The voices had snapped Naruto out of his reverie, resulting the demon vessel to look in the direction of the many game stalls that were set up on the street.

The words 'Nail the FOX!' were stamped on the game stall's board in red. Basically, one had to use the kunai provided by the stall owner to hit the many intimidating foxes on a wooden board. Apparently, prizes would be given out if a person nail at least ten of the foxes.

Naruto entertained the thought of _himself_ on the board with the entire flock of villagers aiming their kunai on him. _'As pleasant as that may be, I doubt my prize would be a mere kunai set. Hell! They would probably provide the entire ninja accessories, including exotic swords and rare scrolls if they managed to nail me down! And ensure that I stay dead, of course.'_

The blond chuckled to himself bitterly as he remembered that it was his birthday. It was a wonder that nobody had managed to attempt that… yet. He knew that the villagers were getting more creative with each passing year, trying all sorts of methods to kill the accursed demon vessel. Of course, that included the traditional way of simply stabbing, kicking and punching.

Sadly, in the boy's opinion, he had survived every single assault that the villagers had managed to pull off. He had wished to die in those countless times of attacks but he was unlucky (lucky?) enough as he would always recover due to the curse (blessing?) bestowed upon him.

Carefully, masking his own chakra and pulling the hood lower so that it would cover most of his hair and face, Naruto was prepared to walk off when suddenly—

"HEY YOU!" the same boy that had won in the game shouted out to Naruto, addressing him directly. His friends looked at him, confused at his loud display. Naruto, however, kept silent as he observed the boy's reaction.

"I challenge you to duel with me in that game!" the boy yelled, despite Naruto standing only a foot away. The boy pointed towards a game stall with the words 'Slice a Demon!' on the board. There was a counter with assorted fruits that had weird-looking, demonic faces on them—apples with sharp teeth, bananas with red eyes, and so on.

Naruto had never openly participated in such a game before since he would usually have his 'fun' with those infuriated villagers. He would always stay at home and wait for the villagers to get him. He would expect no less today once he reached home but… To hell with that! Hopefully, he would be able to get some fun before his birthday ending at midnight.

Naruto gave a single nod, accepting the boy's challenge. He walked towards the game stall as the stall owner handed the two boys five shuriken each. The game stall owner and a few bystanders eyed the mysterious hooded boy with curiosity. Both boys picked up the provided shuriken and got ready as more onlookers surrounded the stall, interested in the duel between a small kid and the hooded boy.

"Ready? GO!" The game stall owner bellowed and the two boys started to fling the shuriken towards the 'demonic fruits'.

The small boy began attacking the fruits furiously and misaimed once as the shuriken fell to the ground with a 'clang' onto the floorboard. He picked up another shuriken and started again. This time, he scored an odd-looking pear that was sliced neatly into two pieces.

Naruto had thrown his shuriken almost idly and he was already on his third fruit. The two before were cut into _thin slices _as the shuriken he held acted like a boomerang. He was still on his first shuriken, with the other four untouched. Obviously, Itachi's training had paid off, as he would usually torture the blond with endless hours of… NO! He would not go to that. The memories were unwanted, repulsive even. The burning image of the _Mangekyo Sharingan _was still engraved in his mind, even though the event had happened almost a year ago.

He took a long time to heal— that was for sure. Naruto was given false hope again and again and he had thought that Itachi would be different. Different from those villagers that offered kind words but gave him poisoned sweets. Different from the people who adopted him while he was in the orphanage and gave him hope, but later on trampled on it heartlessly by ill-treating him to the extent that he nearly died. Different from those academy teachers that proposed to him tuition carried out in secluded classrooms but tried to molest him on many occasions.

And then he realized that Itachi was just the same as the villagers, same as all of them.

And it hurt. It hurt so much.

Naruto was vaguely aware of himself slicing the last two fruits and the shuriken returned to his hand. The crowd cheered at his accomplishment as the game stall owner shook his head at the expensive prize he would be giving away. His adversary pouted in disappointment as he had lost, but was amazed at the stranger's shuriken-throwing and aiming skills.

Naruto was still oblivious to his surroundings as he recalled the incident when the third Hokage had tried to comfort him after he had woken up from the _Mangekyo Sharingan _induced nightmare in the hospital.

"_Naruto. I know that Itachi had hurt you deeply… But you must know that he is a boy who has great ambitions and evil intentions. And even though you may think that you are all alone now, just remember that you have me. This old man here… Will always be here to listen," the Hokage gave the blond boy a pat on the head and was glad that Naruto did not push him away._

_Instead, Naruto turned to him and smiled. He smiled like nothing had happened. "All of you must be happy to see me in such a state, am I right?"_

"_That's not true—" the third Hokage protested but Naruto silenced him with a glance. It was so empty, so devoid of emotions that it disturbed the old man deeply._

"_Don't worry about me," Naruto turned away and sighed. "I will stand up again like always, even though I will fall again. I will look forward to the future even if it is bleak. And I will continue fighting not because I'm strong…" Naruto paused and grasped the white blanket of the hospital bed tightly until his knuckles turned white. _

"_But because I'm weak."_

Naruto was only brought back to his senses when he realized many pairs of eyes glaring at him with so much rage, so much hatred. That was when he discovered that his hood had been lowered accidentally, due to the strong wind that had picked up seconds ago. Beside him, the boy that had challenged him regarded the whole scene with bemusement. He had no idea whatsoever why the villagers were directing so much anger and hatred towards his opponent. After all, Naruto had won the duel. It was only fair that he received cheers and the prize he well deserved.

"It is the grotesque demon-boy!" Someone screeched and abruptly, all hell broke loose.

Many parents held their children in hand and led them out of the celebration ground. Those without parents accompanying them had adults guiding them back to where they came from. Those who did not want to be involved in the perilous situation hastily fled the scene. Windows and doors of houses and shops alike were shut close. Fire torches and weapons appeared from nowhere.

It seemed like the villagers were preparing a war. However, their opponent was not a huge army of shinobi but a small boy of nine.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, amused at the villagers' unusual tactics. _'Wow, this year is new… They have never tried confronting me outdoors before…' _

Silence reigned supreme until—

"GET HIM!" one of the villagers yelled and they charged at him.

Thinking that he was facing mere brainless villagers, Naruto was prepared to leap away to the roofs when two masked men suddenly grabbed him. Struggling futilely against the astoundingly strong arms, he quickly came to a nasty conclusion.

'_These guys… The ANBU force! They are helping the villagers… Why?' _Naruto thought as a chill went up his spine. _'What will they try to do to me?' _He realized they were going to play real. There would be no more punching and things like that. Naruto was going to die for real.

The blond boy smirked. _'They are finally going to end my life, eh? Good riddance to this vile village I guess.'_

He closed his eyes, waiting for somebody to finally hit him with a kunai or something and kill him. He waited for a while but nothing came. However, there was a cold rush of wind whipping at his face as Naruto could feel himself being dragged against the snow-covered ground and he opened his eyes.

The sight of a stake, ropes, straws and a swarm of livid villagers greeted him. All of a sudden, the horrifying epiphany of what was going on hit him like a chakra-enhanced punch.

'_I'm going to be burnt alive!' _Naruto thought frantically, trying to break free from the ANBU men's painful grip. Even though he was prodigy-in-the-making trained by Itachi himself, he was only nine years old and he had no hope against highly skilled, adult ninjas! One might be fine, but there was a whole bunch of them there awaiting his death!

'_I'm fine with dying… But this! I don't want this! I don't want to die this way!' _

The ANBU men tied Naruto firmly to the wooden stake and one even remembered to trod on his toes that were barely covered by his battered shoes and spat out, "Good riddance, demon."

Naruto felt bile rising from his throat, wanting to throw up. There was no way he could use his bloodline without letting himself bleed. Although the ropes were biting into his skin, they were merely leaving red marks on his arms but not enough to make him bleed.

"No… Don't burn me… Please…" the blond vessel pleaded softly as tears made their way down his face, forming salty tracks on his cheeks. "Just kill me…"

"And what? Give you the easy way out? Hey, look here demon, nine years ago, my _parents begged_ you not to kill them but you still did! And I had to see you _eat them alive_! My parents!" The other ANBU, who had been keeping his silence, barked. He had nightmares for _years_! And the demon still haunted him even when he tried forgetting the past!

The ANBU left Naruto on the stake, kicking wildly, as a young man he recognized as one of the disgusting academy teachers held a fire torch, making his way leisurely to the tied up demon vessel. Images of class teasing him and teachers mocking him harassed his mind, bringing up memories that he always tried to overlook.

The academy teacher neared him, until his mouth was merely inches away from Naruto's ear. "Useless demon… You should have thought twice before attacking our village. You should have thought twice before being the nuisance that you are… You don't belong here… Go back to where you belong… Hell." The man smirked and lowered the fire torch to the pile of straw below the platform where Naruto's feet were.

The blond gasped in quiet horror, his brain trying to process the terrifying event that was happening to him. Who knows, he might _really die _this time.

The fire was spreading slowly and was reaching Naruto's legs.

The flames licked at his pale skin and Naruto bit his lower lip to prevent himself screaming in agony.

The blazing inferno was engulfing Naruto whole and the spectators were applauding, crying out in joy. Several villagers even cried tears of delight and some even danced to show their elation.

'_I hate all of you!'_

Something in Naruto's mind broke.

'_And I will even curse all of you in death…'_

And Naruto screamed.

'_I HATE ALL OF YOU!'_

So much hatred, so much anger, so much fear and so much disappointment.

The villagers and shinobi alike who were blatantly enjoying the show suddenly felt _afraid _like they had never felt before these nine years. They could feel the intensity of the raw tendrils of chakra being emitted by the demon vessel, as the fire was about to consume him.

The audience looked in horror as the fire spread _outwards _and not towards the intended target.

The ropes tying Naruto down snapped as the raw crimson chakra smoldered them. Naruto's normal blue eyes were replaced with dark, baleful rubies as he gradually approached the petrified mob.

"I hate all of you…" Naruto's clothes were just barely hanging from his small frame; the fire had destroyed parts of the garments.

"Hate…" Burns covered most of his body but the Kyuubi's chakra was healing Naruto's form steadily, leaving flawless fair skin.

Some courageous armed ninjas threw kunai and shuriken at the blond boy and several villagers even managed to nick his body with small sharp stones. One shuriken was able to cut just below Naruto's eye, allowing scarlet liquid to flow down his cheek.

Naruto looked as if he was crying blood.

And with those grazes that were inflicted upon his healing body, blood began to leave Naruto's body as he activated his bloodline. He could hear people shouting in a distance but he was not sure. He could hear the roaring fires and… the sound of blood gushing out…

"Restrain the child!" Someone shrieked in terror.

It was snowing. But he did not feel the cold. The fires were still spreading, but he did not feel the heat. He could only feel the emptiness in his heart and mind that was gripping his body.

And it started raining red needles.

* * *

"Father, why are we not allowed to join the other children in this sacred festival tonight?" a pale girl no older than eight years old challenged her father defiantly. Her older sister waved her hands frantically behind her father's back, signalling to the other not to infuriate their father. Her hands unconsciously smoothen the wrinkles of the beautiful kimono she had chosen to wear for the night. She had probably gotten those creases while sitting and making tea moments ago.

"You are an honourable Hyuuga. You should understand that we should not be joining this _foolish _celebration when we are supposed to pay tribute to the people we've lost in the war nine years ago," Hiashi's eyes flashed dangerously as the sounds of fireworks reached his ears. "Or have you forgotten that your godfather had lost his life in the war as well?"

"I do understand, father. However, making us sit there and mourn would not bring him back to life! Godfather would want us to be happy! And right now, I think letting us join in the celebration and play will make us happy!" Hanabi whined and crossed her arms on her chest. It seemed so selfish of her father not to consider their feelings. Annually, both of them had to endure constant teasing in class about not being about to join the other children in the special celebration. Godfather had already passed away in the war! Using his death anniversary as an excuse not to go out and play seemed rather pathetic to her immature mind.

She had never seen her godfather, besides knowing that he was in the same genin team as her father. Paying respects to a complete stranger had always made her feel really odd somehow.

There was a shocking silence when her father slapped Hanabi across her cheek, _really hard_. Hanabi gasped in disbelief as the realisation of her father actually _hitting _her was registered in her mind. Her father had never land a blow on either her sister or her before, unless one counted the times when he did in training sessions.

Hinata dashed to her sister's side and decided to speak up for her sister as she saw the anger in their father's eyes. "F-Father, H-Hanabi-chan—"

"Don't speak for your sister, Hinata. She is in wrong and I expect her to apologise to me," Hiashi interrupted her elder daughter and she lowered her head in despair. Hanabi had only wanted to join the celebration for years. Why would father hit her younger sister just because she had just stated her childish desires?

Hanabi's tiny frame trembled in rage as she thought of the strict discipline that their father had brought them up with. When would their father give them a break? Perhaps, until one of them broke down and cry then he would realise that they were mere children?

"I will not apologise to you, father, for I have not committed any mistakes," Hanabi seethed and proceeded to glare at her father. "You may be our father, but we are your daughters. Does it ever cross your mind that you should give us a little freedom?"

Hiashi sighed and looked away, pinching the bridge of his nose in a un-Hyuuga-clan-head-like way. How could a child be so immature and mature at the same time? Was it even _possible _to have a child of eight to be in the rebellious stage now?

While he was thinking that he had bred a monster in his house, Hiashi only responded with, "Go back to your room and stay there until you realise that you are in the wrong. I will not have you apologise to me anymore but I will not tolerate you speaking of your godfather in this manner. You are not going to have dinner until you reflect on what you've said just now." He then left the room without listening to her younger daughter's protests.

"Hanabi-chan," Hinata comforted in a light, gentle tone as she saw her sister's crestfallen expression. She knew that her sister had that obstinate attitude, and that Hanabi would keep trying to stop their father exhausting them so much with his strict upbringing. They would always try to live up to his expectation and would ultimately fail because he kept setting his standards too high.

Hinata knew that what Hanabi did was for her sake. Hanabi could take a training session easily with a few grumbles but Hinata knew that her own body was still too fragile to take the damage and strain all the time.

And it was Hinata who had suggested going to the celebration without their father's consent. It was all her fault.

Sensing her older sister's distress, Hanabi punched her shoulder playfully. "Hey, it's not all your fault all the time! You can't snatch the limelight from me this time round!"

"Hanabi-chan, I'm sorry," Hinata smiled weakly at Hanabi's futile attempt of looking cheerful. She then enveloped her sister into a warm hug and Hanabi cried into her sleeve.

"I-I've always t-tried so h-hard… Not only m-me, but also Hinata-chan t-too… Why can't f-father see that w-we are not h-happy at all?" Hanabi whispered in between hiccups. Hinata smiled and stroked her sister's hair soothingly.

"It will be fine, I promise, Hanabi-chan."

* * *

The Hokage lit his smoking pipe and pulled his straw hat lower as he surveyed the damage that had been done to his village. He sighed as he crimson liquid stained the pure white snow and gradually reached his slippers, successfully dirtying them. "Ah… There goes a perfectly fine pair of slippers," he commented lightly as he stepped away from the corpse beside him.

Bodies were littered across the snow-covered street and those who had survived were trembling and mumbling to themselves, a possible sign of mental trauma. Blood coated every inch of the snow and the debris of the leftover celebration showed every plausible indication that a war had taken place.

However, the one who had dealt all these damage was a mere boy of nine.

Many ANBU members, including some of the jounin were gathered at the awful scene. Some were inspecting the destruction and others looking out for survivors. Some, on the other hand, were surrounding the seemingly harmless and dishevelled blond, poised in a stance that suggested that they were ready to fight.

The Hokage, however, merely waved his hand in a dismissive way and the shinobi under him looked at him, wide-eyed. They parted eventually and allowed the elder to enter the ring that they had formed moments ago. Sarutobi advanced towards the boy with his trained body disallowing him to make any sound on the snow. However, he had thought that Naruto would be able to recognise his chakra signature. Instead, Naruto seemed very engrossed in his thought, or rather, his mantra.

"I hate all of you… I hate all of you… All of you shall die with me…"

The Hokage suddenly looked every year of his age at that moment as he examined Naruto's wrecked state. The demon vessel did not seem to be more injured than any healthy being even though the blood that were on him suggested that he had been injured seriously previously.

He knew that something like that would have happened. Sarutobi regretted deeply never doing anything to stop this from happening.

"Naruto-kun," the Hokage called out softly, fearing that Naruto's mind had retreated into the dark recesses of his mind without being able to function normally anymore. It would be his entire fault that he had disappointed so many people, especially Naruto himself… So many lives were lost because of his foolish ignorance that he had because he wanted to trust the villagers not doing anything silly. This was the result of his blatant unawareness of the villagers' pain of losing their loved ones.

If only he had explained clearly and perhaps, revealing Naruto's heritage…

Sarutobi was almost _horrified _when Naruto started to chuckle. It was such a sinister, deep and sorrowful one that he had never thought a child would be capable of. Just listening to it made his heart clench at the knowledge of Naruto's childhood and the betrayals that had always threatened to let pain swallow the blond whole. The bystanders cringed at the sound the demon vessel was emitting.

Abruptly, Naruto stopped his laughter and turned to address the crowd. "I will kill all of you… All of you thought of me as a demon and I shall be one just for the village's sake… I will destroy this entire village and I shall perish with it too." With one streak of red beneath his right eye, he looked like a vengeful devil indeed.

"Naruto-kun…" The Hokage felt his heart shatter at the tone that was promising revenge. The little boy had been hiding his pain and suppressing it all these years that the villagers had taken it too far. Naruto might have been broken now and it was all up to him to fix the pieces himself.

To his utmost surprise, a tear made its way down Naruto's left cheek. "I will kill all of you then kill myself…"

"I hate all of you… I will kill all of you then kill myself…"

Tears began to flow down his cheeks in rivulets and falling onto the snow-covered ground. "Why am I hated so much?" Naruto fell to his knees and cried even more.

It was the second time he have seen Naruto so heartbroken, besides after Itachi's betrayal. Naruto looked so forlorn and in pain, that Sarutobi nearly forgotten that this boy had actually been happy once, when he was in Itachi's care. Hell, he had even witnessed the boy laughing!

Oh, how he wished that time could return and let him see this little boy laugh again.

The Hokage knelt down beside the crying blond, to everyone's surprise. Naruto took no heed as the old man wrapped his arms and hugged Naruto tightly to his chest. At this moment, all the surrounding ANBU and jounin gasped and one even had the guts to shout, "But sir! He had killed the—" There was a slight 'crunch' sound as if somebody's jaws had been punched and the Hokage looked back tiredly to see a familiar jounin with his forehead protector covering one of his eye waving back at him gleefully.

Sarutobi smiled tightly and nodded his thanks as he continued to comfort the crying little boy as if Naruto had only scrapped his knee. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I promise you that nobody will hurt you anymore…" The little boy nodded as he rubbed his eyes sleepily and questioned in a child-like manner, "Promise?"

The Hokage gave a slight nod and smiled. "Promise." The little boy yawned and nodded with a wistful smile, as if what the old man had told him would only happen in his dreams, that they would never come true. The third frowned and as the blond fell into a deep slumber after the exhausting events, Sarutobi whispered, "If anybody is deserving of love and acceptance, it is you, Naruto-kun." Just after he said that, an ANBU walked up to him and saluted. The Hokage nodded and gave Naruto to Kakashi, who would return the boy to his apartment.

"Yuugao-chan, is anything the matter?"

"Sir! The council wants to have a meeting with you and the other clan heads immediately. I am afraid it has something to do with the events tonight," the kunoichi with purple hair and an ANBU mask reported, her body bent in a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Yuugao-chan. I shall be there immediately, as requested," Sarutobi replied grimly, fully aware of the events that shall follow. He was afraid of this happening. The whole council would want to persecute Naruto and would probably condemn him to death. He had to stop that from happening.

xoxox

"Uzuki-san, please report the casualties," Sarutobi ordered as people flooded into the meeting room, filling the chairs. The purple-haired ANBU nodded firmly and immediately gave a quick recount to the old Hokage. "There was a total amount of twelve reported dead and forty-three injured. Of the forty-three who were injured, eleven were seriously injured and had been treated. However, one was reported to die of severe blood loss in the hospital twenty minutes ago."

"Thank you, Uzuki-san. You may leave." Yuugao nodded again and bowed politely at the Hokage before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves. The Hokage settled himself in an armchair in a position in which he could address everyone in the room. He cleared his throat twice at the whispering crowd and they quietened down instantaneously. It was decided that the villagers' leader should speak: "Today, we've lost a good number of citizens and I feel that I am responsible for this fateful event."

The council and the other clan heads began to talk among themselves, contradicting the Hokage's solemn speech. After all, most of them agreed that it was the so-called demon's doing that so many innocents had paid their lives that day. At the people's distraction, the Hokage cleared his throat again in order to catch their attention. The people averted their attention back to the Hokage, some even looked at him with faces as pale as paper. The Hokage knew what they were thinking about: the demon had finally taken over its vessel.

It was time to clear up that nonsensical belief.

"I can assure you, that the village is not in danger for now. However, if the villagers continue this act of treason of disobeying my law and outwardly show violence to Uzumaki Naruto, then I shall punish them accordingly. Today, Uzumaki Naruto had only wished to defend himself, thus resulting in retaliation by his part."

"I don't believe this! The demon vessel had murdered so many people with the demon's chakra and you're still standing up for him?-!" a wizened woman from the council yelled, pointing her shaky index finger at the third Hokage. "Do you even realise the extent of destruction he had done?"

"He is a demon for gods' sake! I don't understand why we can't issue a declaration and give him a death sentence already!" another shouted, enraged at the cool exterior the third was showing.

To everyone's surprise, especially to Sarutobi, someone came to his and Naruto's defence. "This is so troublesome… You old geezers should know that Naruto isn't the demon by now… He is just a child who has a huge burden placed on him…" Nara Shikaku, the Nara clan head spoke up, leaning against a wall lazily.

"How dare you…" a stubborn old man sputtered, and then said, "That demon had used its chakra to kill everyone just now! All of us felt it!"

"And this is where I shall bring in a witness to deny this. Please come in, Haruka-kun," the third Hokage smiled as a little boy of seven walked in. He had found the little boy cowering behind a ruined game stall when they knew of the carnage two hours ago. The boy had been so terrified, but he was determined to help Naruto. Haruka had said something like, _"Naruto nii-chan did not win anything just now and all of them became very angry suddenly! I figured it is selfish of me if I don't share my prize!" _

However, the third did not want Haruka to share his prize. He merely wanted the little boy's statement.

"Okay, Haruka-kun, you don't need to be afraid. Just say what you had been doing and where you were at around seven in the evening," the Hokage instructed kindly and put a hand on the little boy's shoulder, reassuring him that nothing bad would happen.

"Erm… I was at the game stalls at around that time… I won this kunai set and I was so happy… I thought my throwing skills were very good so I challenged Naruto nii-chan—" many people of the council raised their eyebrows at this. "—to another game… He won it but a lot of the grown ups just grew angry when his hood fell… I didn't think he was a baddie but everybody gave him the evil eye… That was when they drag him away and came with fires on sticks! I was so afraid and that was why I hid behind the game stall just in case they decided to burn me as well…"

"So, you _did _witness Naruto murdering the villagers?" Hiashi pressed urgently. Being a clan head and a rational Hyuuga, Hiashi knew that he should not blame a little boy for something he did not do. However, all these years he came thinking of his best friend's foolish method of sealing the demon into the boy that cost his best friend's life. He did not want a repeat like nine years ago and if what the people of the council had said were true, then perhaps the Kyuubi _did _break the seal and control the little boy. After all, one cannot be sure that a mere boy of nine can contain the centuries-old demon. It was not that he did not trust his best friend's skills over seals, though.

"Yes! It was _so _cool… The baddies—uh—I mean, the villagers wanted Naruto nii-chan to be burned alive and suddenly Naruto nii-chan seemed angry all of a sudden… And erm… When someone cut him with a kunai, _I think _he activated a bloodline or something—my daddy told me of those—and he made it rain blood!" Haruka said everything in one go, excited and slightly breathless. Who can blame a child for being excited? After all, he had witnessed a rare bloodline that had been dormant for hundreds of years.

"You are sure it was a bloodline and not some red chakra?" the head of the Inuzuka clan inquired. It seemed proper to always get the facts right. He had never witnessed this bloodline, except for learning them from books. It was rumoured that the Namikaze clan, the ancestors of the fourth Hokage, had once possessed this bloodline. However, because owners of the bloodline married other ordinary women, the bloodline weakened and completely died out a few hundreds ago. It would not be possible for a little boy, also the container of the Kyuubi, to suddenly possess this bloodline…

"Nope! It was a bloodline, I'm sure of it! Unless Naruto nii-chan knew a technique to make blood fly around… Then maybe my dad haven't tell me of those techniques yet… But he always would! After all, my daddy is an academy teacher," Haruka grinned and puffed his chest, proud of his father.

"But if it's a bloodline… Then… It is the _kekkei genkai _called _Chihiwaza _and is feared by many… But if he owns this bloodline… It means…" Hiashi spluttered, linking all the clues together. _'That couldn't be! It means that he is related to…'_

"Yes, you guess correctly, Hyuuga-san," Sarutobi announced solemnly and everyone looked at him, baffled. "Uzumaki Naruto is the son of the fourth Hokage. Even though the Namikaze clan's _kekkei genkai _had laid dormant for hundreds of years, it had surprisingly chose Naruto as its next successor. "

Everyone looked at him, wide-eyed, until—

"No! That can't be! He—he!" the old woman who had shouted previously was reduced to a stammering mess. Everyone was also shaking his or her heads in unison, denying the fact that it was conceivable that Naruto was the son of the renowned fourth Hokage. After all, why would he seal the great demon lord in his own son? And everyone had an answer to this: how can he ask others to give up their own children to contain the demon? The fourth had to sacrifice his own son and condemn him to a pitiful life in the village.

While everybody were still flabbergasted at the unexpected revelation, the Hokage declared in a clear and forceful tone, "After all of you knew of Naruto's heritage, I do hope that nobody let this information leak out of this place. If anyone does, then the punishment is a death penalty, understood?" Everyone in the room nodded at this. After all, if too many people knew of Naruto's background, then people from other countries might kidnap him for either his bloodline or the possible fortune that he could inherit.

"Thank you for your cooperation. However, I do hope that no problems concerning Naruto-kun shall arise. Everything that had happened today will be covered up as an accident that has occur at one of the game stalls," Sarutobi stated quietly, before leaving the place with no room for discussion.

* * *

After their father leaving the Hyuuga compound hurriedly, Hinata had sneaked food into Hanabi's room without anyone catching them. After all, she was well trained for a child at nine-years-old. Hanabi had smiled at her sister with gratitude before starting on her meal. The last time she had ate something was early in the morning and for the whole day, she had abstained from food in order to go and pay her respects to her godfather.

"Hanabi-chan, I think I shall go now. I am afraid that our father has probably returned home from his urgent meeting," Hinata announced quietly and cleared up hastily. Hanabi helped with cleaning up and gulped down her tea before handing the cup to her sister. "Thanks, Hinata-chan! I was _so _hungry before you came…"

"Don't mention it, Hanabi-chan. Just don't anger father again like this morning… He was pretty upset… I know both of us didn't know much of our godfather, but I can tell that he was father's really good friend when he was alive…" Hinata mumbled the last part, as she remembered the many days that their father would just sit by the small pond in the Hyuuga compound and stare at the Hokage monument not very far away.

"Well, he _is _the one who defeated the demon Kyuubi right? He sounds so cool!" Hanabi spoke animatedly with hands waving about to emphasize her story. Then, she indicated her sister to go closer as Hanabi whispered, "And did you hear all the screaming just now, sister? It sounds so horrible!"

Hinata nodded as she remembered the shrieks that were filled with so much fear, and one particular one had made her feel _so _much pain, anger, disappointment and hatred. It had sounded like a little boy. "Well, I shall leave you and return the dishes, then. See you tomorrow morning, Hanabi-chan," Hinata balanced the plates and cups on her hand while Hanabi slid open the sliding door for her sister. "See you tomorrow," Hanabi replied cheerfully.

After her sister's departure, Hanabi felt extremely bored as she laid on her futon and waited sleep to take her. When she waited for half an hour, she decided sleep was disobedient and made her way to sewing kit. She had always wanted to make doll for her sister.

She cut the outline for the doll carefully and pinched the sides together as she stitched them together with needle and thread. When she was about to finish sewing up the doll but also leaving an opening to stuff wool inside, the needle pricked her in her index finger and blood began to seep through.

"Ow!" Hanabi threw the needle back into her kit like it was some accursed item. She glared at it for a few moments before deciding against giving the needle a good scolding.

Blood flowed from the cut and dripped upon the doll, where the heart was supposed to be.


End file.
